Cirque Du Faeries
by cryingmarshmallo
Summary: Gajeel Redfox was not very sure of what to expect when he signed up for the famous Cirque Du Faeries, but dangerous enemies, reckless friends and a certain blue haired acrobat who seemed to be fond on ditching parties certainly wasn't it. But then again, beast taming isn't the most conventional job either. 1940s circus au, also known as my excuse to write Gajeel on suspenders.
1. Prologue: Alegría

Everyone in the room held their breath. Children leaned in towards their parents, asking in whispering voices what was going on. The adults reply by hushing them silent, not taking their eyes from where the ring had been located mere seconds prior, before the lights were turned off and the crowd was left in complete darkness.

 _Alegría_.

A single light fell over the figure of a short man standing on the middle of the ring. His costume was bright and colorful, a bright red top hat decorating his head, and his gloves hands rested on a baton.

The ringmaster.

 _Alegría._

The show starts up with three dancers, entering the enormous striped circus tent as they stood on respective pink dyed horses, dancing on top of them and making the glitter on their costumes sparkle and the crowd clap appreciatively.

Two clowns make their way inside, stealing smiles from the children as they fell over repeatedly due to their oversized clothes and flirted with the dancers, who payed them no mind.

 _Alegría._

The laughs soon turned into gasps and squeals, as a shirtless man entered, doing somersaults and holding in his hands two flaming torches. He danced recklessly around the edges of the ring, making the crowd stand to get a better look.

After his number came the strongman, starting from holding up weights, to having the three dancers and one of the horses stand on his shoulders, seemingly without breaking a sweat. He let them back into the ground and roared, the crowd roaring along with him.

 _Alegría._

People held their breaths both during the throwing knives number and the escapology number, after which they had to be reassured by the ringmaster they the performers were indeed okay, which earned them another round of applause.

A magician stepped in, a mischievous glint on his eyes as he opened his jacket and five doves flew out from it, making the younger ones gasp, as he proceeded to ask for a volunteer.

 _Alegría._

A young lady seemed to fly through the air as she performed on the aerial silks and the trapezes, only touching the ground to bow down to the crowd.

Finally, the ringmaster came out again, a big smile on his face which was mimicked on the performers'.

A man behind the ring watched silently as the show finished, with a pleased smile and a warm feeling on his chest he had not felt in a very long time. He chuckled to himself, fixed his suspenders and run a hand trough his long hair, and made his way out of the tent.

 _So that's what it felt like_.

 **A** **/N:This is just a prologue for a story I have in mind. It's mostly Gajeel/Levy centric, altough we'll get a good dose of Juvia, slight Nalu, Miraxus and who knows what else.** **This is my very first published story, as well as my first FT story, so please be nice on the reviews, yeah? Also know that English is my second language, as well as my editor's, so I'm warning you of grammar and spelling mistakes beforehand.**

So **, apparently ffn will hunt me down and kill me if I don't put a disclaimer on my stories so yeah, you be knowin I ain't no Mashima.**


	2. When It's Sleepytime Down South

Magnolia was a big city.

For some, it was home. For others, it was just another stop on the way. For most, it was a chance to get in the spotlight.

Gajeel thought about this as he made his way towards one of the wagons, also known as "The Swiggers Wagon", also known as Cana Alberona's territory.

The Cirque Du Faeries had quite the reputation for their aftershow parties, considered to be some of the best and, no matter where they were, they would eventually escalate into a massive brawl.

It was a rather warm night, so Gajeel didn't mind the outdoor scenery. They had set up some chairs and tables, and one of the walls of the trailer had been removed to give the impression of a bar. He noticed most of his workmates (or as he preferred to call them, "freakshows" were already there, most of them out of their costumes, although he could spot a couple feathered dancers and a certain fire tamer seemed to be still very much in character. He decided to give the former some crap for it free a couple drinks, if Gray didn't beat him to it.

"Gajeel, my sheik!" He heard an already familiar voice and he turned back towards the bar, where a brunette woman with a cigarette holder in one hand and a glass of something on the other, was waving him down.

"Everyone is your 'sheik', Alberona. You stop callin' me that." The woman merely laughed and poured him a drink.

"What a show tonight, huh? Gramps sure outdid himself with this one." The man simply grunted his approval and sat on a stool, chugging his drink and turning towards the rest of the crew. Apparently Natsu, in all of his post performance cockiness, had just challenged Bixlow to a drinking contest. The later just laughed, throwing his head back and sticking his tattooed tongue out.

His attention drifted to a group of what he recognized as some of the dancers. They had changed into some more fitting for the occasion clothes, consisting in lie cut dresses and waist hugging belts. The outfits didn't really interest Gajeel, he thought they were more revealing in their circus costumes anyway, but one in particular seemed to catch his eye.

They had never talked. In fact, she hadn't spared him more than a glance since he was introduced into the circus's crew a month ago. Or at least, so he thought. She didn't have a reason to either, since their numbers weren't very similar, but apparently, the Faeries we all friends with each others, so he wondered why the blue haired beauty hadn't approached him like most of the crew had.

 _Maybe she's shy?_ , he wondered.

She intrigued him, to say the least. He had observed her aerial routine with the eye of an expert, guessing her petite figure and extreme flexibility helped her control the gravity of her body at will. But this wasn't all that grabbed his attention. He wasn't sure if it was her porcelain like skin, or get azure locks, or the rost don't on her cheeks after performing her routine, but something about her had him making more than one double take he definitely wouldn't have done if it had been for her finger friend, of one of the Strauss sisters.

He was he halfway down his third drink of the night, when his back was suddenly pounded and he was forced to spill it all out.

"What's good, Gajeel?" Natsu asked, his hand resting on his partner's shoulders.

"Do you want to die tonight, Salamander?" Gajeel growled deeply, shooting Natsu with his crimson stare.

The fire dander either didn't notice, or was already to drunk to care.

"C'mon, don't be like that. Me and the gang are ready for another chug-a-lug contest, anyway. I figured you'd like to partake, instead of sitting over here all on your own and looking like a sulking monkey."

"I don't... I'm not on my own." Gajeel looked to his side, revealing that Cana had indeed left him and was currently busy drinking Laxus under the table. "Damn woman." He mumbled before turning to the pink haired man.

He was already standing and tugging on his sleeve to follow him, so Gajeel went, not without making his annoyed state known.

It wasn't as I'd he didn't want to have a drinking competition with the 'gang', as Natsu had put it. It was just that, if his calculations were correct, _she_ was part of the gang.

As they neared the table they were all gathered around, Gajeel noticed most of the noise from the party was coming from the rowdy group of friends, currently laughing and yelling at each other for whatever reason. Gajeel could only sigh.

"Hey Natsu, we sent you over for more booze, not another competitor." Erza complained, rolling her eyes and sitting down next to Jellal, who for some reason hadn't yet disappeared into hell knows where, as he usually did after shows.

"Drinking is manly!" Elfman roared as he lifted one of the benches, people sitting on top included.

"Yeah, big guy. Now let us us down slowly, please." Gray sweatdropped.

Gajeel sighed again. What has he gotten himself into...

"I don't believe we've been introduced." He heard an unfamiliar voice to his left so he turned, and his heart did a somersault he wasn't sure the rest of his body could perform without seriously injuring himself.

She was standing before him, drink in hand, red lipstick tinting her lips and contrasting deliciously with her pale skin and blue hair.

"I- not really. I'm Gajeel." He said, holding his hand out for her to take and hoping he didn't sound as stupid as he felt. _What's wrong with you? She's just a shrimp_ , he scolded himself.

"I know. I'm Levy." She answered with a smile and stretched his hand.

 _Levy_.

He wasn't very sure of what to say, since he usually didn't get this far, so he just added,

"Great performance today."

It seemed to be the right thing to say, since his eyes lit up and her smile could have outshined the sun.

"Thank you. I was a bit nervous, being my first time performing at home and all. A lot of people I knew were on the crowd."

So she was from Magnolia. That was interesting.

He was about to add something when Natsu stumbled in, face redder than he was before carrying at least six mugs of beer in his arms, although half was already spilled out. Before Gajeel could turn back to Levy, he was tugged into the middle of the competition along with Gray, Elfman and a couple other guys.

 _Oh_ _well_ , he mused. _Might as well make it count._

Levy sighed a bit when his curent companion was pulled away from her, and she turned to Lucy, who was standing a bit to the side.

"So you've met the sheik, huh?" The blonde asked, wiggling her eyebrows at her friend. Levy blushed and hid her face in her hair.

"Lucy! Don't say that!"

"Oh, c'mon. You can't say he's not attractive. I mean, look at _that_." She said, pointing with her drink towards Gajeel, who was currently rolling up the sleeves of his white cotton shirt to his elbows, giving the ladies a good look of his tanned and slightly scarred forearms. "You can't."

"Lucy, I literally just met him." The bluenette stated, starting to get irritated.

"But you've been ogling him since he joined the crew last month."

"Lucy!" She squealed.

The aformentioned blonde just laughed harder at her friend's annoyance.

"Good evening, girls." They heard a voice at their back, and they turned around to face the redhead who had adressed them.

"Erza!" Lucy exclaimed, placing her drink on a nearby table. "You're just in time. We're trying to make Levy admit she has a crush."

"Oh? Levy has a crush? Who is it?"The older woman inquired, to Levy's embarrasment.

"No one! I don't have a crush!" The petite woman was nearly fuming now. Why wouldn't her friends just leave her be? So what if she thought the new guy was attractive? It's not like she knew anything but his name anyways.

"C'mon Levy, don't be shy…" Luy started pushing her gently towards the loud group of men, who just got drunker by the minute.

"Hey Lucy!"

The blonde's mission was rudely interrupted by a pink furball which suddenly jumped in her way. He had left his shirt somewhere along the way (probably in a fight with Gray), but somehow managed to keep his trademark scarf securely wrapped around his neck.

"Natsu, not now. I'm busy." Lucy huffed, but Levy could tell she didn't really mind stopping to chat with the man.

"But I gotta tell you something important." He whined, making Levy giggle softly.

"No offense, but you're more than just a little buzzed, so if it really is that important, you should at least wait 'till you're sober."

Natsu's face turned serious so suddenly, Levy was actually a tad bit concerned something might actually be wrong.

"Lucy," he sarted, grabbing her shoulders and making the blonde release her friend's. "You need to know that I-"

"You what?" Lucy urged him after his pause, clearly getting more impatient and fidgety with every passing second.

"I think you are…" Before he could finish, the poor fella's eyes rolled to the back of his head and he fell over, right on top of the busty blonde. She squealed, doing her best to hold him and not let him fall over to the ground.

"Natsu!" She groaned in annoyance, her legs quivering a little under the newly added weight.

Levy saw her chance and took it, deciding to ditch already and call it a night. She retrieved to the wagon she shared with some other girls, which unconveniently for her high heel clad feet, was placed on the other side of the makeshift camp. As she made her way, she noticed Natsu wasn't the only one who would suffer from a killer hangover the next morning, as Bixlow was lights out cold on the ground as well, Lisanna Strauss trying (and failing quite miserably) to bring the big man back to consciousness as she repeatedly called his name and poured glasses of cold water on his face.

The bluenette sighed. It looked like the poor girl still had a long night ahead of her.

As Levy stepped into the trailer, she took off her heels and made a beeline to the little space under one of the bottom bunks, where she kept her scarse luggage. Quickly changing into a light nightgown, she went over the recent evening on her mind.

It had been the first time Levy performed in front of such a big crowd, even tough she had been part of the circus since she was very young. She had toroughly rehearsed every little movement, every intake of breath had been calculated previously, multiple times. Aerial silks were indeed a very dangerous skill, a little mistake, even if it was by an inch, could end in a very serious injury. Before joining the faeries, Levy had heard plenty of horrible stories of accidents involving very talented gymnasts, where trivial errors met a fatal end.

But then again, the Cirque Du Faeries was known for its reckless and daredevil members, so if what she wanted was safety, she should have just stayed home.

After she finished her performance and finally touched the ground, the claps and cheers from the public had left her breathless, feeling as if it was the proudest moment of her career. The Master had given her the brightest smile she had ever seen coming from the old man, and that was indeed saying something.

Then came the party. Lucy and the girls swarmed around her, squealing their congratulations over and over, Levy making her best to return them as well as she could.

She changed into her favourite night dress, black with a sweetheart cleavage, its shape hugging her figure in just the right places.

And then, there came Redfox.

 _Interesting_ _fella he was_ , Levy thought. she had seen him for the first time coming out from the animals wagon, which was weird since nobody went in there without a real good reason to, unless they were Laxus and they could handle a good beating from unwilling horses.

His pierced face and unkept ebony hair were some show on itself already, but Levy believed his red stare was his most outstanding feature (along with the rippling muscles he didn't take much effort to hide under his clothes, but Lucy didn't need to know that).

She didn't think he would notice her tonight, but then she saw him sitting by the bar, making several double takes towards her when he thought she wasn't looking, which had her chuckling into her drink.

 _Interesting indeed._

 **So as I said previously on the summary for the story, this scenario focuses around the late 40s, early 50s, post-WWII, so I made a little effort to look up into the slang for the period, and I'm doing my best to include into the story. In case it doesn't sound too natural, please tell me so can edit it off the next chapters.**

 **Wow, four reviews and three follows on a 500 word long prologue were definitely more than I expected, hence I'm releasing this chapter earlier than I had planned. Don't get used to daily udates tho, I promise I will settle some sort of sheduled updates as soon as I figure out which day is the most convenient. Next update will more than likely happen sometime this week, so stay tuned. Don't forget to tell me what you think!**


	3. Mo' Better Blues

"C'mon, is that all you've got?"

The dark beast roared and plunged forward, only to be intercepted by Gajeel's arm. The creature dropped to the ground as it's use was grabbed in a particular way that made it freeze on the spot. Gajeel immediately sat straddling its back, and as the animal regained its footing, he dug his strong fingers into the scruff on its neck, anchoring himself firmly as the sun glistened into the sweat beads they covered his bare chest.

After a few more minutes of tugging, jumping and pushing, the animal finally came to the ground with a dry thump, defeated.

"Good work today, Lily." The man grunted, getting off the black panther and drying off the sweat on his Brie with the back of his wrist. Lily obediently set down, seemingly perfectly calm, and looked at his owner trough deep dark eyes as he leaned over and grabbed something from a bag on the side. Something that looked strangely like...

 _Kiwi!_

Lily almost got up and tackled Gajeel to grab the fruit from his hand, but after a raised eyebrow from the man in question, he decided he would be better off staying seated at his spot for now.

"Hey Lil'" Gajeel called after a couple of minutes. Lily's ears twitched as he looked at his owner apprehensively. They both stayed immobile for a few seconds before...

"Catch!"

Lily didn't need to be told twice. He immediately charged on him as the kiwi was thrown high into the air, the giant feline jumping and catching it mid air, describing quite the perfect arch.

He heard Gajeel's strange laugh, but decided to ignore it, firmly believing that his human wasn't worth nay time he could spend enjoying his favourite fruit.

"Okay, time to go back into the cage. Chop chop!" Gajeel called, clapping his hands twice for accentuation. Lily huffed loudly trough his nose and turned around, deciding to shamelessly ignore the beast tamer. "Oh, come on, don't give me that jive. You're not the only one that needs training." Seeing his partner wasn't about to budge, Gajeel retorted to more drastic measures. "Well, I guess I can give Happy all of these kiwis I have left over here. He's been givin' me feel for some more chew."

The reaction was immediate.

Within seconds, Lily was standing on his hind legs, charging up and pushing Gajeel from the back, making him fall face first on the ground.

"Oh you jealous bastard!"

He was on his feet immediately. The panther, feeling that he was in trouble, bolted away from the man, which strated a chase that lasted around twenty minutes.

Lily had been Gajeel's very first pet. He'd had more than he could manage, which had led him to his very first heartbreaks. He had found Lily in an alley while he was out looking for food during his short stay in Oak Town when he was a kid. Back then, he had thought the poor thing was just a normal kitten given to his size, and ten year old Gajeel didn't have it in him to leave him abandoned and all by himself. Specially since he was the same.

After Lily came many others, all of which he made an effort to tame and train. Although currently the circus only had under his care seven animals (four of which weren't really his), he loved the beasts to death.

Gajeel had a pretty lonely childhood. He had never met his biological parents, and even if Metalicana was a pretty good replacement, he didn't last long either. Before he had turned nine years old, Gajeel was all by himself again. Well, at least until Lily came around. And then Barney, Tomcat, Sussie, Ron, two unnamed Brazilian parrots, a goat that only stayed with him for a day and a half until he head to sell her so that we wouldn't starve, Salomon, Daisy, and many others.

Carla was the last addition to his ever growing family, and he could tell she didn't quite trusted him yet. That usually happened when he adopted adult animals, they were just as skeptical as human ones. The Albino tiger wouldn't follow orders unless there was some sort of treat on game, and even then, she would just half heartedly do the simplest tricks he could think of ordering her. Gajeel knew that she was probably just as intelligent as Lily, maybe more so. But she just, choose not to care.

"C'mon." He urged her as he waited for her to come out of her cage so they could get started with the training. "Don't be a scrag." He spat in ultimate annoyance.

Her ears merely twitched, as she didn't even look at him.

"Who're you calling a scrag?" A voice asked.

Gajeel blinked, and for a moment, considered the possibility of the cat actually talking to him. Then he blinked again, considering the possibility that he was probably going bonkers.

"Ehem." That voice again. Now slightly irritated.

 _Crap_.

When he turned around, he noticed she was wearing her training clothes, more revealing than anything that could ever be seen in the streets of a regular city. But Gajeel had been living with a circus for a month, so he was used to seeing mildly indecent women walking around without a care in the world. Her hair looked unkept, probably from hanging upside down from the big tent's ropes with the other girls again, even when Polyrusica half half heartedly scolded them millions of times for it already.

Her face demanded an answer for her previous question, not daring to allow other women to be degraded in such way, specially by a man.

 _Shrimp's got balls, gihee._

"Oh, it was just the damn cat. She won't listen to anything I tell her to do." He explained, leaning over the door frame of the door he was standing by.

"Did you try asking nicely?" Levy demanded half jokingly, walking past him (making a very very big effort not to notice his glorious chest), and into the animal wagon.

She had never been in there before, but then again, it was the first time the Cirque had a beast tamer since she had joined. Previously, the wagon was only inhabited by the three horses, which were taken care bu Laxus, and occasionally, Bickslow. She remembered they had a couple giraffes a few years ago, but then one of them fell ill and the other one had to be sold off shortly after. Therefore, there was plenty of space for two cats, one elephant and one beast tamer to join the party.

This space was longer than the other wagons, but Levy guessed it was only fair. After all, animals did need their the ceiling, she noticed three or four windows for ventilation, which explained why the place didn't smell like a cow's butt (not that she had ever smelled one, but she guessed that was how a place overcrowded with animals must smell like). To her left, there was a heavy rug making the means of a curtain to what was probably Gajeel's personal living space. On the other side, she noticed cages, some of which were empty, but each one of them was spacious enough to host about three or four horses comfortably if necessary.

She noticed that the cage Gajeel had probably opened before she so rudely interrupted was currently inhabited by a large cat. No wait, it was a tiger. A white tiger, of which she had only read of in books from far off lands, was currently staring at her with her piercing blue eyes. She couldn't help but gasp.

"She's beautiful." She whispered.

"She's also incredibly stubborn and she looks at me like I repulse her. But all that aside, then yeah, she sure is." Gajeel nodded with a smirk.

"What's her name?" She asked, not looking away from the marvelous creature.

"Carla, but apparently she doesn't agree, since I can't get her to do anything I teach her." Gajeel huffed. He was starting to get annoyed, and he really needed to get a move on with the training, otherwise he would have to...

He didn't even wanted to think about it. Sure he'd had many exotic animals over the years, but Carla was one in a million. Not even Ella, the dwarf African elephant could do her justice. She couldn't just sell the cat, not if he could help it. But there was no use in having her trapped all day in a cage, wasting time, space and money either.

When Gajeel found her, three months ago, he had big dreams for her. It would take a while, but he was sure that if he could get Carla to cooperate, they could get very far very soon. Unfortunately, the feline didn't agree, and therefore, Gajeel was stuck with his usual street number which usually consisted only in Lily and very occasionally, Ella.

"Carla, dear. Come on, please. This is going to be fun, I promise you. We just need you to cooperate." Levy spoke in soft and sweet tones, leaning over forward to make her posture as unaggressive as posible.

Gajeel just rolled her eyes and turned around, walking out of the trailer and into the bright morning sun. _Keep trying all you want, Shrimp. That sweet-talkin' ain't gonna be workin'._

He turned back around to voice his thoughts at Levy, but his mouth fell open before he could get any of his words out.

Carla was standing a few feet away from the bluenette, willingly walking towards her as she kept on taking pleasantries to the cat.

The young woman turned to him with a bright smile.

"See? A little kindness never hurt nobody." She giggled.

"Whatever you say, Shrimp."

There was a pause, and Levy realized it was a little... awkward, so she quickly excused herself.

"Uh, I should get going. Juvia was waiting for me around here somewhere."

"S-sure." Gajeel's stammered a little, the tip of his ears flushing a bright red. "Eh, see ya, Shrimp."

"See you." She waved and left his trailer hurriedly. _Gosh, that was so awkward. i never know what to say to him._ Levy sighed. She had other things to worry about other than the tall rookie the girsl believed was so 'perfect for her'. She shook her head and walked towards the inside of the tent, where Juvia was already waiting, perched upside down from one of the trapezes.

"Juvia is glad you could make it!" The other beamed, and jumped off the twenty seven feet that separated her from safe ground. "Now let's get started, Juvia has an appointment with Mister Gray for lunch today."

Levy giggled a little and went on to stretch first. Juvia wasn't much of a talker, but when it came to her adored Gray, she could rant on for hours nonstop, just taking about the softness of his hair, or the way his hands moved as he practiced picking locks for his escapist numbers.

"You know you can just call him Gray, right? You guys are friends after all."

The taller bluenette blushed a bright pink at the suggestion.

"Juvia is not comfortable speaking about her beloved in such an... informal way." She explained with a little smile.

"That's okay." Levy reassured her, climbing to one of the trapezes to start of her jumps. "I'm sure he doesn't really mind however you call him."

Juvia was glad for having Levy as a friend. People often made fun of her for her strange way of speech and her old fashioned manners. It wasn't as if she could really help it. Juvia arrived to the circus about a year before Gajeel did, so she was also relatively new. She had known little to no English when she had joined, coming from a far off land, running off from bandits who had threatened her family. So Levy, along with Lucy, took it upon themselves to teach the shy girl how to communicate with her new friends. She had come a long way since then, but she still would not let go of her third person way of referring to herself, and Levy was not about to force it out of her either.

She was also very shy. It had taken some time to get her to wear the tight clothing girls wore for their performances, so they tried to make her as comfortable as possible until she was ready to come out of her shell. Getting her to talk to Gray instead of watching him silently from the side certainly was another feat, since she had a more than obvious crush on the man, but they had become fast friends, so Levy couldn't be happier for her friend.

Now, Levy watched her as she jumped from rope to rope, until she finally let herself fall into the small water pool they had placed under the ground. Juvia had come a long way since they had first met, and although she still had much to learn, Levy couldn't wait to see how her journey went on from there. She smiled to herself, and nodded quietly as she descended to the ground, helping herself with one of the fabrics. She'd had her doubts in the past, but now she was certain.

Juvia had found her happiness among the faeries.

 **IM SORRY I EXPECTED TO POST THIS UPDATE YESTERDAY BUT I DIDNT HAVE THE TIME PLEASE FORGIVE ME LORD.** **Anyways here's another chapter for you to enjoy, I think the next one will be coming out on Saturday but we'll see.** **We'll see.** **And anyways, thanks for the follows and reviews, it means a lot to me so please please please keep doing it. Even if you're just gonna drop a word long comment I still appreciate that you take a few minutes of your day to read my story and not leave like a ghost.** **And of course, constructive criticism is always much appreciated thank you very much and see tou in the next update!**


	4. Charlie Brown

Mirajane had waken up in quite a chirpy mood that morning. She made breakfast for everyone, kindly asked Laxus to check the tent's ropes (which he did without a second thought), and then she rehearsed her song, along with Lisanna. And since she was done with her duties fairly early into the afternoon she decided to indulge into her most pleasurable hobby.

Gossip.

She went over to the bar, knowing full well that Cana was planning a party for later that afternoon, although that wasn't what she was there for.

"Heya doll." The already tipsy brunette called as her friend sat in a stool.

"Hello Cana, how have you been?"

"Better now that I can see your pretty face." The other winked playfully, and Mira just giggled at her childishness. "Now whaddaya need?"

"Huh? Can't I come over to spend some time with my friend?" Her brows furrowed a little, and Cana just rolled her eyes.

"You never ask how I've been unless you need something. You'll always say 'good afternoon', or make small talk about the weather, but you never ask about me, so c'mon. Tell me."

Mira sighed.

"I'm bored, Cana! I ain't got anyone to mess with. No rumors to spread, no matches to make, nothing! Not even Freed is around so we can chat about Laxus' muscles." She groaned dramatically. "Just... hit me up with something good."

Cana nodded solemnly and and swiftly pushed a glass of milk over the bar.

"That strong enough for ya, dolly?" She teased, and Mira just stuck out her tongue at her, taking a gulp down of the white liquid, her face immediately scrunching up in disgust.

"What is this? It's too bitter. You forgot again that I take it with sugar!"

Cana just chuckled, hands on her hips.

"Excuse my interrupting ladies, but I was just making my way down when I heard our dear Mira here is having some trouble on finding some entertainment and I believe I might just have what she's looking for."

Mira turned to her side, coming for to face with the Cirque's jack-of-all-trades himself. He looked rather smug, cleanly clad on some dress pants and white shirt, probably back from the city after completing whatever strange mission the master had sent him off on. He had a hat on his head, but took it off as he approached them and it finally came to rest on top of the bar as he sat on a stool next to the white haired woman.

"Good afternoon, Bixlow. Have you heard anything interesting going around lately?" Mira asked politely, shooting a warning look at Cana, who looked about ready to leave her alone with the strange man.

Bixlow had been around for almost as long as Mirajane herself, and she often wondered what his role on the circus actually was. The older ones were too afraid to ask, and if a newbie did, he would just shrug.

"Just decided to stick 'round." He would answer and then laugh, his strange facial tattoo moving along almost as if it had life in itself.

Mira knew the master trusted him, but sometimes he would just up and disappear for weeks, sometimes even months, just to catch over with them halfway across Fiore from where they had seen him last.

"I don't know much, but what I do know will amuse you for a bit. I saw something a couple of weeks ago, while we were still in Magnolia." Now that really caught Mira's attention. "I was simply walking towards the master's trailer when I heard some conversation. Unfortunately, I didn't hear much of it, but I for sure saw them."

"Who?" Mira was now sitting on the edge of her stool.

"I ain't no snitch, but," He leaned forward a little. "Redfox and little Levy sure had it going on."

"Pfft, everyone knows Red has got the hots for Levy since he laid eyes on her." Cana interrupted, crossing her arms and laughing at the man.

"But there's more." Bixlow said, his eyes not moving from Mira's, who in return was watching him with rapt attention. "I don't know what they were saying, since I was standing too far from them to possibly read their lips. But _he_ was not only shirtless..." He took in Mira's reaction, her eyes widening slightly and her fingers playing off-mindedly with the rim of the half-finished glass on her hands. "I also saw _her_ walk right into his trailer."

At such a declaration, both women were left out of words for a few seconds. To think that their innocent, sweet Levy...

"Did you see what happened after?" Cana demanded, hands resting on the bar as she leaned forward towards Bixlow.

"Sadly, I was running late to an appointment with the master, so I had to leave after that. But I sure am hoping our dear Mira can put her little... talent to use, as I have already provided my dope to the cause. Wouldn't that keep you a bit entertained for a while, doll?" He asked, flashing his teeth in a smirk.

Mira didn't answer. Her eyes were focused on her glass. After a couple silent seconds, she downed the rest of the milk in one gulp and then got up, walking away towards the girls wagons.

The other two watched as her silvery hair swayed from side to side along with her firm steps.

"Looks like they're in for one hell of a week." Bixlow whistled as he stood from the stool, putting his hat back on and waving off at Cana. "This will ought to be interesting."

Levy for sure didn't know what was coming for her until it was too late. She was out chatting with Lucy, enjoying a lemonade Lisanna had offered them a little while earlier to fight the heat of the midday sun. The eldest of the Strauss siblings walked towards them, innocent mask on, and just sat next to Lucy so she could have perfect view of Levy's face at all times.

"So Levy." She started, her cheery tone sending shivers down the bluenette's spine. "I've been meaning to ask you about Gajeel since we left Magnolia."

"What about him?" She asked, tilting her head slightly to the side, despite knowing exactly _what_ was it about him.

"Oh, you know, it just seemed to me that you were a little... close?"

Levy rolled her eyes. Why did everyone believe that she had to like Mr. Tall, Dark and Handsome? Sure, he was attractive and the memory of him without a shirt on in front of her still made her blush a bit every time she thought about him, but that was normal, wasn't it?

"We've become... sort of acquitances as of late." Left said, hoping her face wouldn't betray her much. Mira wasn't very convinced, and Levy realized they would be sitting there for a long, long time.

"Hey Foxy! What's buzzin', man?" Cana hollered over the bar as she noticed a brooding figure walk by. "C'mon, have a drink and a chat with a pal."

"If the sun's still up, then it's too early to be drunk." Gajeel reflected, sitting down despite himself. "Also, for you it's either 'Gajeel' or 'Redfox', maybe 'dreamboat' if you catch me in a good mood."

Cana laughed and poured him a drink anyways.

"Spill the beans." She said, leaning her forearms onto the bar.

"What?"

"Talk, keep me up to date, give me information, whatever you kids call it nowadays."

"I know what 'spill the beans' means, ya souse. What do ya want me to talk about? Not that I will anyway..."

"So you and Levy, huh? You'd be quite the icon, if you ask me. Not a typical match, but then again, this is a circus so one would think we're used to seeing freakshows quite often..."

"What... are you even taking about?"

Cana laughed a bit at his confused expression.

"Oh, not official yet then? It's okay, I can keep a secret of you want me to. Mira though..."

"Listen, I've barely ever talked to the Shrimp, let alone bonded, so don't go around believing everything people tell ya." The man growled, knocking back his drink before slamming his glass back down onto the table. "Anyway, I should get going, gotta talk to the old man before it gets late." He declared, running a hand trough his long hair in a slightly nervous manner.

"Oh, important chat you've got prepared?"

"I'm gonna ask the geezer for a number for tomorrow night's show, so yeah, I would say so." He said, looking to the ground. Cans stayed silent for a few seconds, slightly surprised.

"Will good luck, then." She said eventually, grabbing the empty glass he'd left on the counter to wash it. "Don't make a fool of yourself, will ya?"

"Sure, sure. Catch you later, Alberona."

"Yer still comin' to my party!"

Gajeel raised a hand over his head as he walked off, and Cana sighed and shook her head, going back to washing glasses and emptying bottles.

Somehow, Levy found herself walking up the stairs towards Makarov's door, but she caught herself right before she could knocking just heard voices inside.

"... understand, Gramps. Thank you." She managed to make out the words right before the door opened and she came face to face with the one and only, Gajeel Redfox himself.

Or, you know. More like face to abdomen.

She cursed her shortness and the couple of steps that separated her from him, which obligated her to look up at his face even higher than usual.

There were a couple of tense, silent seconds, before Gajeel snickered.

"Gihee, Shrimp. I knew you liked me, but I hadn't taken you for an eavesdropper."

She blushed madly and huffed, placing her hands on her hips.

"I was not eavesdropping! If you must know, I wanted to talk to the master."

"Well, he's free now. Now, if you could move over... unless you'd want me to walk over you. Not like that would be much of a problem, gihee."

Levy was scarlet red by now. It didn't help that her friends had teased her mercilessy all trough the last couple of hours about the very same man who was currently standing right in front of her. She tried not to look at his waistline or lower as she moved over, but this proved to be a mistake, as she misstepped and lost her balance. She was sure she could not further embarrass herself in front of him, when two arms caught her suddenly, stopping her fall.

She looked up into his crimson eyes, which were glistening with a new found seriousness.

"Careful, Shrimp. We can't have you injuring yourself if we wanna make it to the big papers." He said with a little smile as he gently helped her until her feet were placed safely on the ground.

She watched his back as he walked away a few moments later, and had to press her cool hand to her cheek to at least hide her blush a little before entering the trailer.

 **LATE, I KNOW. I said I was gonna upload on Saturday, but stuff got mixed up and I before I knew it, I was already halfway through Monday. Anyway, better late than never, amirite?**

 **So here you have it, chapter four (or three if you don't count the prologue), introducing a few more characters like Bixlow, who will prove to be VERY important to the plot later on. Also MIRA. I laughed so hard as I imagined this scenes for the first time in my head. I like to think of Cana as some sort of unconventional counselor for Gajeel, since in this story their humor sense is quite common (also bc I have this headcannon that Gajeel is a brutally honest drunk, so they have like NO SECRETS AT ALL)**

 **I'm thinking on sticking to Wednesday updates after all, it's a pretty good day for me to proofread and edit everything so yeah, wait for me next week.**

 **Last but not least, don't forget to review, favourite and follow in case you haven't already. I appreciate every little word you guys take seconds of your day to drop off for me!**


	5. Corcovado

A cheery record played in the background, slightly muffled by the voice of the people hanging by the bar on that clear night. They had set camp slightly separated from the city, so the moon and stars were clearly visible. The melodic sounds of women's laugher grazed their ears every now and then, often followed from an over-prideful male voice. To put it shortly, it was the sort of night women enjoyed to chat and mingle as they flaunted the night dresses in front of their male work mates.

"Stop! It's really not like that at all."

One particular voice raised higher than the others, the flushed owner clearly trying to make herself even smaller and hoping the earth would open up and swallow her whole.

"Oh, c'mon Levy, you sound like such a mona lizard. There is nothing bad about having a good time every now and then." Evergreen chuckled, sipping on her sangría.

"Hey, you can't talk, you have a fiance!" Levy defended herself, hands on her hips, trying to change the topic. It didn't work.

"Just accept that you got yourself some swoony and that you're not longer up for grabs and we will leave you alone.", Mira suggested with a shrug and a little smile.

"But I'm not-" Levy interrupted herself mid sentence out of mere frustration and took a couple seconds to calm herself. "You know what," she started slowly. "You're right. You're totally right, we hooked up the other day. I had a 'good time'." Her tone gradually grew higher and higher as she got angrier. "Now that you got what you wanted, do _both_ of us a favor and keep your noses out of my business."

The girls were left speechless, although Levy was too mad to stay around and see their reaction. Her only regret was deciding heels were a good option tonight, so she couldn't stomp away.

She left the party and walked towards behind the semicircle the trailers had been set on when they camped. Away from the commotion and its people, she took off her black headband, letting her blue looks fall free and took off the annoying heels, which were promising to break her toes if she kept walking on them.

She needed some time to cool off, she decided. _I'll see Lucy and the others and apologize for being so mean. Even if it's true that they were getting a little overwhelming._ Then she remembered what she said back there and she couldn't help but groan, hiding her face on her hands in embarrassment. She had said what she had to get them off her back at least for a little, as she figured herself out. But how could she explain this to Gajeel? It wasn't as if they were close (acquaintances with a side of teasing, she decided), but she hoped he would understand. After all she was sure she had gotten Mira to tone it down for now. She damned whoever had told the silver headed girl about what had happened back in Magnolia.

The bloody snitch. It wasn't as if they had known what was going on anyway, so she just would have to bear with whatever Mirajane had been told, because Levy wad sure as hell she was not convincing her otherwise anytime soon.

"Gihee didn't take you for a ditcher first time we met, Shrimp."

"Well you're not that good yourself, considering it's only barely past eleven.", she answered without bothering to turn around.

Gajeel chuckled again and moved to sit next to her on the grass, passing her a bottle of what she assumed was a Coke.

"Drink it. It's supposed to prevent hangovers."

"Supposed? You don't sound very convinced." She raised an eyebrow, but took the bottle from him anyways.

"I've never tried it." The man defended himself. "But I s'pose it won't hurt me if I do. Bottoms up, toots."

Levy took a long gulp, enjoying the coolness of the beverages and the bubbles as they tickled her throat. After that, a comfortable silence followed, both of them just looking off into the quiet stars, the music and voices of the party sounding faded and distant, setting quite a peasant atmosphere.

"By the way..." Gajeel started again. "I saw your little number back there. Gotta thank you for that."

Levy was surprised, and even managed to blush a little. "I- I'm sorry I told them that. I was just overwhelmed and they wouldn't leave me be unless they heard what they wanted, and I kind of panicked and just said that. Gosh, this is so embarrassing. I should have spoken to you before all of this happened, but the girls just wouldn't leave me alone the entire afternoon, insisting that I needed a 'chaperone'. Of course, that excuse was ridiculous. I can go wherever I want to..."

"Shrimp, you're ranting."

"Sorry, sorry. I just..."

"Shut up." He cut her off dryly. "It's okay." Gajeel shifted a little in his place and rolled the sleeves of his shirt up to his elbows. "I told the boys the same thing to get out of there actually."

Levy just... didn't know what to say.

"Oh." She replied, immediately feeling dumb. "Well, I'm glad you are not mad I used you to get them off my neck."

"Not at all." He even laughed a little. "Besides, it's not that hard to believe that I could give you a 'good time' if you ever asked." He winked towards her, and she hoped he couldn't see her blush under the dim lighting.

"D- don't say things like that, you idiot!" She briefly considered smashing her now half empty bottle on his head, but decided against it.

"Anyway, what where you talking to the Master about after I left this afternoon?" He asked after another pause, and Levy briefly wondered if he actually wanted her to keep talking.

"Oh that, it was nothing. Just letting him know I'll be heading into the city tomorrow to get some new silks. Mine are pretty old and I don't want to be having any accidents. What about you?" She liked this. They were chatting almost as if they were normal friends who didn't happen to have any sort of sexual tension between them and whose friends didn't tease them until they confessed their undying love for one another.

"I wanted to have a number in tomorrow's show." He stated simply. Levy looked up at him.

"And did you get it?" She asked dumbly. His first show for the circus... that was pretty big. Levy found herself mentally crossing her fingers for him.

"Yea." He replied, and Levy beamed.

"Congratulations! I'm looking forward to seeing your routine. I've never seen you perform before."

"Gihee, careful Shrimp. I might get flattered by your fanatism and actually consider gettin you into my trailer for some _serious business_."

"Oh, shut up, you big lug." She crossed her arms after downing what was left of her coke, and setting the empty bottle down next to his. "Why beast-taming, anyway?"

"Why aerial fabrics?" Gajeel retorted. "I don't know. It just went with me, you know. I've always had a way with animals, and I was offered to perform in quite some places before coming here. Guess it started because of Lily. But then again, I wasn't much his tamer as he was mine." Levy giggled at this. It was quite interesting and even adorable to see how they had such a strong bond between them, regardless their species. "After a while, it started being more of a way of life than just a hobby. I'm always picking up lost animals, so training them was a must if they wanted to stick around. After some time, they start enjoying it. That's when you know they'll do anything you teach them."

"They seem so important to you..." Levy said with a soft smile.

"Well, they're all I've got." He answered with a shrug.

"That's not true." Gajeel looked at her. "At least, not anymore. You've got us, you've got the Cirque. We're your family now too."

"Anyway, enough about the mushy shit. Now 'bout you." He nudged her with his shoulder.

"I like hanging off things and playing dead." Gajeel shot her the 'don't mess with me' look. "No, im serious! When I was little, I liked to hang up from the curtains. I've always been pretty light, so I wouldn't fall if I held myself up properly. I guess I just like being off the ground." She shrugged, giggling a little and hugging her knees to her chest.

Gajeel just looked at her and snorted a little, shaking his head. _This girl..._

She was currently looking up into the stars. She had read in a book that they were giant balls of gas and energy floating on space, but she liked to think they were just millions of fireflies flying too far off for her fingers to reach, or tiny holes someone had made with a needle into the night sky. She had heard once, from some older crew member when she was still a teenager, that if she ever saw a shooting star, she should make a wish and the star would make sure it came true. Levy herself had never seen a shooting star, but neither did she want to, since she wasn't sure what she would wish for. She wanted so many things...

Gajeel founding himself enjoying the silence. He had always believed noice kept him on his tracks. After all, his wagon was full of animals in need of constant attention, and the only way they knew how to grab his attention was by making noise. The circus was very noisy during the day, either moving along from one place to another, or preparing that night's show. The only moments of silence during Gajeel's current life was when the lights went off on the circus tent, right before the beginning of a show, and he always found himself on a state of uneasiness and anticipation, waiting the few seconds until the master turned in and the spectacle began.

But right now, he enjoyed the quietness after a night of partying and a busy day of training. Well, it wasn't an absolute silence, since he could still hear people talking in the distance, but there wasn't any music playing anymore, so their voices just fell into the vague category of white noise, along with the crickets hidden in the grass around them. He allowed himself to close his eyes and breathe in deeply, feeling slightly drowsy and perfectly content. He had almost forgotten the Shrimp was there with him until she spoke up again.

"Gajeel?" She whispered, even if it was a sound, Gajeel discovered that he is associated more with the perfect, calming silence than with any other noise. He grunted his response, not opening his eyes, even when he felt her weight on his side. "We're friends, right?"

"Sure." He didn't even hesitate to answer, and not only because he was tired. It seemed as if Levy had liked the reply she got, because she nodded slightly and closed her eyes as well.

 **I feel like this update is going to cost me a lot of followers but before you say anything, yes, I KNOW Gajeel a little out of character bUT this is my au so yeah. My game, my rules, y'know how it rolls 'round here.** **Also, to those of you who might think this is moving too fast, it's not. Hear me out on this; the way I see them (or at the very least, how I see them in this au) is as ADULTS, NOT CHILDREN. I'm not gonna play around with their crushes on each other and make them both into thirteen year-old girls and suffer internally because they like the other's hair. They're adults, they know they're attracted to each other and probably also know the other is attracted to them, so why bother? They're FRIENDS and they are MATURE so it's okay for them to talk about their life and feelings and shit. Again, this doesn't mean it's moving too fast. Believe me, with what I have planned for upcoming chapters, you'll be wishing I'll move FASTER.** **Last but not least, thank you for taking off time from your very busy day to read this humble story, your follows, favorites and reviews are so appreciated and actually, they keep me pumped up to continue with this story.** **Well I guess I'll see you next Wednesday with chapter seven. Until then...**


	6. Young And Foolish

At twenty eight years of age, next in line to inherit a widely renamed circus, Laxus Dreyar was pretty sure he had seen everything there was to see.

So he wasn't really surprised when Freed, his right hand man (he still wasn't very sure why he needed one, but the chap had insisted) informed him that the new beast tamer was going to be performing tonight.

He would be lying if he said that he wasn't excited. Even Freed could tell, even if Laxus wasn't exactly jumping on one food. But again, Freed knew pretty much everything, so it wasn't that surprising either.

What was actually surprising was the fact that when Gajeel Redfox's number came, the circus tent turned into no less than a Roman Coliseum (Laxus wasn't very informed on the matter, but Freed certainly was).

The ring had turned into an arena, where a battle to death between beast and man was taking place. Movements too fast to follow, even by Laxus' experienced eyes, elegant jumps and brutal attacks, and the public standing, not very sure if they should be cheering for the black feline or the actual performer.

"He seems to be enjoying himself." A voice to his left mused, and he looked down to his grandfather, dressed in his bright uniform, looking at Gajeel with an expression between admiration and pride, and Laxus could only agree. In the few and quick moments he was able to catch a look at the man's face, he had seen a wide grin and lively eyes that seemed to confirm the old man's statement.

Lily also seemed to be having a good time of his own, as the occasional roar he let out appeared to be more joyous than actually fierce.

Still, the battle was never the less interesting. Eventually, it ended with the enormous creature on the ground in defeat, and Gajeel raising his fists into the air.

And that was only the beginning.

Ella came next, adorned with delicate ornaments, colorful patterned fabrics and accompanied by a very happy, although slightly nervous Juvia. Ella wasn't a very big elephant, which did wonders to Gajeel's cause (who by the way liked to call her 'little Ellie', since she was the size of a normal dog when he found her, five years ago), because he wasn't sure of what he would do if she needed more space than he could provide her.

The dwarf elephant performed amazingly, holding Juvia up on her trunk as the girl somersaulted to the ground after a cherry dance on her back, and after a couple of pats between her eyes and a loud goodbye from the public (particularly the children), it was finally Carla's turn.

Gajeel couldn't deny the fact that he was nervous. It was his very first time performing with the albino tiger, and he wasn't very sure of what to expect, but he shook off his nerves and tried to look as calm as possible. _You've trained for this moment for two months, you can do this, Gajeel_.

He had already lost many nights worth of sleep debating whether to include Carla in his first performance or not. After the little episode with Levy, Gajeel could certainly see how the tiger had improved both in attitude and in skills, but... he wasn't sure. His mind, the rational side of him, I was telling him to go with it and present her. His instincts, however, the part of him that was not quite the beast tamer but the beast lover, told him she wasn't ready just yet.

So after many headaches (and half pitiful, half amused looks from Cana, who probably thought he was just hungover), he finally decided to go with both.

So her debut was simple, well planned and mostly elegant. Laxus could tell he was both playing it safe and showing her off. And it looked like the right decision. While Lily's fight had been outstanding and definitely a feat of strength and skill, Carla's performance was slow, fluid, kind of like cursive handwriting. But an albino tiger was much rarer than a black panther, and Carla was certainly one beautiful specimen.

The show ended not much later, of course with Levy performing, this time along with Lissana and Lucy, on the aerial fabrics. As he watched from behind the ring, he could have sworn he saw her winking at him for a second as she was suspended in the air, before letting herself fall majestically, only to tangle herself back with a single leg, earning claps and whistles from the crowd. She made it look so easy...

Gajeel was sure it was not.

And of, course after the show came the party.

Cana called him over as soon as he walked into the bar area. Seriously, didn't these people get tired of partying every night and always waking up to loud comrades and a raging hangover? Before he could elaborate in that thought, he spotted Levy standing a few tables over, her short evening dress and red lipstick he was sure she had put on only to tease him, and decided not to complain.

"C'mere, you dreamboat. That was one hell of a show you gave us over there." The brunette whistled as she poured him a 'Cana special'. He wasn't very sure of what exactly the ingredients for this particular drink were, but knowing the barmaid, it probably had a lot to do with vodka.

"Thanks, toots." He answered, taking a gulp off the glass and pretending he ignored the previous nickname. "They sure did a nice job, I'm proud of 'em."

"You're such a dad."

"I'm not."

He was.

"Anyway, apparently you and Levy are an icon now. Nice goin' there."

Gajeel had almost forgotten about _that_ , which nearly made him spill his drink. He wasn't sure of how to proceed, because he didn't know what Levy wanted him to stay in this sort of situation. He knew that what she had said the previous day had been a way to get her overwhelming friends off her back, but he wasn't sure if he should continue with the lie (because it _is_ a lie, he insisted to himself), or if she was ready to come out by now. So he went with the most neutral gesture he could think of.

He grunted and turned on his stool.

"That's kinda hot, if you ask me." She shrugged, and he could hear the grin on her voice.

"I didn't, and the fact that you just said that just makes it a hundred times weirder than it already is."

"So you don't agree?"

 _Crap_. He hadn't been careful enough. Now what? _Think Gajeel, think._

"Whatever, gotta go." _Smooth_.

He stood up, chugged the rest of his drink down and walked away, trying not to look too suspicious.

"Hey, Gajeel." He heard a female voice call him.

 _Oh, God help me._

Meanwhile, a few tables west from there, two girls were having a much more pleasant conversation.

"Your routine today was beautiful, Levy. Juvia is happy she has such talented friends."

Levy laughed and thanked her fellow dancer.

"Oh, but Juvia! I loved your performance today. That dance you did along with Ella? It was so unexpected and lovely! I was grinning and clapping the whole time, couldn't help myself."

Juvia blushed a little.

"Thank you, Levy. Gajeel asked Juvia earlier today if she could perform with him, and Juvia was so excited! Juvia had never danced on top of an elephant before, not even a dwarf one. She was very nervous but very pleased too."

Levy smiled. Juvia speaking more than a couple lines about anything other than Gray Fullbuster was definitely not common, so that must have meant that she really liked the experience. Levy would make sure to thank Gajeel later for that.

"Good evening, ladies." She heard a smooth, familiar voice at her back, and she and Juvia turned around to face its owner. "Levy, congratulations on tonight's show, I was pleasantly surprised as always. Do you mind if I steal Juvia here for a bit?" Gray Fullbuster himself asked, standing in front of both girls with a drink in hand, dressed handsomely but also casually. Juvia's face had turned completely red in a matter of seconds, but Levy smiled and nodded.

"Of course, go ahead. Have fun, Juvia." She said with a playful wink and a giggle. As she watched the pair walk away, Juvia seemed to regain normal conversation skills and over all, seemed pretty comfortable with the entire situation.

"I'm so happy for her." Levy said to Lucy, who was standing nearby. "She finally seems to be feeling more at ease around here."

"Well your boy-toy sure isn't." The blonde answered.

"What do you mean?"

Lucy pointed with her drink towards where Gajeel seemed to be surviving trough an interrogatory, courtesy of Mirajane and Erza.

"Oh, God. Lucy, hold my drink."

Twenty minutes later, she was sitting at a table in the corner, a half drowned bottle of scotch lazily reflecting the lights of the bar, and the murmur of conversation caressing her ears softly. The alcohol already in her system making her feel half sleepy, half cheeky.

She looked towards the man to her left, the soft shadows casted on his face making him look even more mysterious and handsome than usual.

Yes, he was very handsome. She marvelled on the way his muscles seemed to tense and relax under his shirt every time he moved, be it to refill his glass from the contents of the bottle, or to accommodate himself further into his chair, and on how the nice warm breeze made the long ebony hair falling over his face dance along.

"So how did ya like my number, Shrimp? You seemed to be quite smitten with my cats, if I remember properly." Gajeel had leaned over the table, ditched the glass and just taken a big swig straight off the bottle as he waited for her answer with a smirk. Levy tried not to stare at the way his Adam's apple moved as he gulped.

"It was quite exciting, if you ask me." She looked away. "I found myself feeling a tad nervous during Lily's routine, even knowing it was just a play fight."

"Were you worried about me?" He asked in a low, husky voice that sent shivers down her spine, but she stayed firm on her resolve it to look at him.

"Don't tease me, Gajeel. I'm not joking." She answered, and smirked a little despite herself.

"I'm not teasin' ya, Levy."

The way he spoke her name had her biting her lip. She felt his arm sneaking it's way around her waist, pulling her closer to his body. His thumb started caressing her silk covered hip in circles. Now she could feel his breath on her neck parting the layers of blue hair that separated his lips from her creamy skin. It smelled like alcohol and mint. He was drunk.

"Gajeel, stop." She whispered and she felt the hand on her waist come to a halt as she pulled away slightly.

"What's wrong, Shrimp?" He asked, slightly hurt at her rejection but also concerned at her sudden drawback.

She still hadn't turned to look at his face, so she couldn't see his expression. And she wasn't sure she wanted to.

"You're drunk. I don't want you to do anything you might regret later when you're sober." She replied, placing her hands on her lap to stop them from shaking.

Wasn't she moving too fast? He technically had not touched her and there she was, assuming things. To her embarrassment, she wasn't even sure of what Gajeel wanted. She wasn't even sure if he wanted anything at all.

Sure, they had teased and joked and flirted with each other almost non-stop since they had met, but maybe that was all that it was to him. A flirt, a joke.

To her surprise, Gajeel chuckled and pulled her even closer to him, burying his face on her hair and inhaling deeply.

"I don't think I would regret anything I do with you, shrimp. Drunk or not."

Levy finally turned around, her face a couple inches away from his, and smiled. She wasn't sure of what made her so attracted to the man siting next to her, but the truth was that she was always subconsciously looking for him. Ever since that time in his trailer, now every time they were in the same room together, she couldn't help but turn her eyes in his direction every couple of minutes.

Now, her honey colored gaze finally came to rest on his, falling to his lips for a brief second before snapping back up at his eyes.

And that was all the confirmation he needed.

 **Here it is, chapter six fresh and warm. Hope you've enjoyed my story so far, and since I _finally_ made it to a point where their relationship is (kinda) a bit more solid (not really, but I made them _kiss_ ), now I can get head into the plot.**

 **I must confess something. I'm currently in the claws of a terrible writer's block and I don't know what to _do_. Like, I have the story in my head, chapters planned out, but I just got to a point where I don't know how to write it out, y'know. Anyway, between that and the fact that I was in the hospital last week, I only have one more chapter written out. So sadly I probably will not be able to update next week, at least, not if I can't have another chapter finished by Wednesday.**

 **That said, please don't forget to take a couple of seconds of your _very_ important _very_ busy day to review this insignificant piece if literature I'm offering for your amusement, and in case you're new to my story, you're welcome to favourite, follow and drop me a review anytime!**

 **Until next time...**


	7. 'round Midnight

Bixlow wasn't one to question orders, specially if they came directly form the Master himself, but he couldn't help but feel a little wary of the whole situation he had been put on.

"Ol' geezer's already cuttin' out paper dolls. I'm sure of it." He grumbled to no one in particular, kicking an empty can as he walked down some alley in the outskirts of a small town. "He's finally gonna get me six feet under with all this jive one of these days."

He looked up at the sky, the monochromatic atmosphere clashing against what he was used to as a (sort of) circus crew member. It was sad, cold, and over everything else, untrustworthy.

He sighed. Last night, Lisanna Strauss had asked him what his job consisted on this time and he had found himself unable to provide a completely truthful answer without sounding like a fool.

"Just pickin' up a lil' somethin' the old man asked me to." He had replied, chugging down his beer and stealing glances at her exposed pale shoulders.

It was ridiculous, really. A new beast? Why the hell did they even need one? Redfox seemed to have enough on his plate already, specially taking into account those bratty horses the girls loved so much and that white tiger, who seemed to be giving him more trouble than making any actual progress on her attitude. Bixlow wasn't even sure if the beast tamer was actually aware of the new member his disfunctionally mismatched family was about to receive.

"Been waitin' 'ere since sunrise, kid." He heard a voice call, and he turned towards the door he hadn't noticed being opened. A man whose clothes were even gloomier than his surroundings stood there, a cigarette hanging lazily from his lips and a frown fixed on his forehead. "Yer the one ol' man Makarov sent, ain't ya?"

"Aye." Bixlow answered, walking towards him with his hands on his pockets. "I'm assuming you're Cobra Erikson?"

"That's Mr. Erikson for you, cookie." The man answered as the shadow of a smirk teased the corner of his lips, even though Bixlow believed this man couldn't possibly be older or bigger than himself.

"Where's the pet?" He addressed, deciding to get his mission over with as soon as possible. Erikson didn't seem to have the same idea, whatsoever.

"'Pet'? Is that how you freakshows will treat the deadly Apophis?" The man snarled.

"Apo- _what_ now?"

Erikson looked at him with venom in his eyes, but didn't dignify him with an answer.

"Yet not very bright, are ya? But you seem strong enough. Let's get this over with so that I can get you out of my sight already." He tapped the ash off his cigarette and took another drag, before walking in through the door and disappearing inside the smokey darkness inside, Bixlow following suit without waiting for the invitation he knew wouldn't come.

When Bixlow's truck finally pulled over at the camp, people were lounging by a bonfire, waiting for the night to come around, along with the evening's upcoming show.

He noticed Lisanna walk towards him, already changed into her 'work clothes', which had him biting his cheek to stop a grin when he noticed the glitter decorating her body.

"Evenin', doll. What's cookin'?" He flirted, hopping off the truck and leaning onto its side as the young woman approached him.

"How did it go?" She asked, ignoring his attempt at any sort of advance. "Did you get what you needed? You took your fine time to come back."

"Really now? Did you miss me?" He retorted grinning wolfishly, but walked towards the back of the truck without expecting an answer. "Would you be such a darling and go fetch Redfox for me, love? I think he's gonna like what I've got for him."

Lisanna complied and he worked around with the lock of the door to the back of the truck.

"Hope the geezer knows what he's getting into." He mustered to himself.

"The hell ya need, ya freakshow." He heard Gajeel Redfox's demanding voice, little Levy McGarden trailing close behind him along with Lisanna. Bixlow turned around and found nearly half of the circus crew slowly making their way towards the unlikely group, probably intrigued by Lisanna's odd approach and request at the beast tamer. He noticed the Dragneel boy holding one of his still flaming torches, the fire licking dangerously close to Lucy Heartfilia's clothes.

Bixlow had to grin and remind Gajeel that 'at least he wasn't the one out there in the ring, was he?'

"Got somethin' for ya, Master's treat." He answered, pulling open the heavy metal doors. Everyone leaned in, and even though most pulled back immediately in surprise and repulsion, Gajeel couldn't keep the stars from his eyes the moment they landed on the creature within.

"Holy mackerel-"

Levy leaned over to see inside of the truck from where she was positioned behind Elfman and Wakaba.

"Where on Earthland did you get this from?" She couldn't help but exclaim.

It was _big_.

Actually, it was more than big. It was the biggest, longest and thickest reptile Levy had seen in her entire life. And she lived in a _circus_.

She recognized the species from one of the books she loved to indulge her time in, and she believed the pattern of greenish brown, yellow and black to be impossible to mistake, as well as the length, girth and head shape.

Even though she believed to know everything there was to know about the infamously large reticulated python, seeing one face to face made her silently decide Gajeel had officially lost his mind for being so excited about the newest addition to his team.

She stopped the shiver that run down her spine as the creature moved lazily inside its cage, with no apparent intention of doing any harm... for now. The crowd around the truck had dissipated considerably since the doors to the back of the truck had been opened, the sight of the half grotesque, half hypnotic creature being too much for some of the spectators.

"Are you sure..." Lisanna asked silently towards the man who stood next to her as he looked thoughtfully between Redfox and the python.

"I don't know, Lis." Bixlow provided unhelpfully, which left a queasy sensation in the pit of Levy's stomach. He took a drag off a recently lit cigarette and exhaled deeply. "I don't know."

 **This is _terrible_. Easily one of the worst chapters I've ever written. (Also _extremely_ late but hey, it's still Wednesday, ain't it?) I am sorry for not updating last week, my only excuses are a small, spontaneous family vacation my mom decided we all needed, and the horrible writers block that's been haunting me for weeks. This was painfully hard to get on paper, even worse onto my computer.** **Thankfully, I've had time to plan out the next few chapters, and they should be easier to redact since I'm sooooo exited to let you guys know more about our very important new friend, Mr. Snakey.**

 **Anyway** **, to make it up to you guys, I've decided to make a little list of 'fun facts' about this story so that you won't actually hate me for such an useless update. Here it goes:**

 **1\. Every French speaking follower knows this, but 'faerie' isn't actually a French word. The literal translation for fairy in French is 'fee'. (It just sounds cooler this way tehehe.)**

 **2\. Some of you may be wondering what's up with the weird, seemingly random chapter names. Well, each of those names is actually the title of a jazz song ( _some_ from around the time this story is inspired on), and they are supposed to act as some sort of 'soundtrack' for their respective chapter! Feel free to listen to the song while reading the chapter to get more _in situ_.**

 **3\. The story of the Cirque du Faeries is situated around 1940-50, but some of you may wonder why WWII does not come into the picture at any time at all during the story, being that it's such an historically important fact, _specially_ during that time. My answer to this question is that yes, this story happens during the 40s, but it takes place in Fiore, Earthland. Not in 'real life verse'. And since WWII is irrelevant to the plot of CDF, then I've decided to just... not let it happen, aye?**

 **4\. SLIGHT TRIGGER WARNING ON THIS ONE, YES? IF YOU DON'T LIKE _SNAKES_ , SKIP TO POINT 5. I did a very exhaustive research on different species of snakes (I declare myself ignorant whatsoever, so feel free to point out my mistakes!), and I've decided to use the reticulated python for the character of 'Apophis'. This species of snake is apparently between number one and two of the largest and heaviest snakes to exist nowadays. This kind of snake, as all pythons, are non-venomus, instead being constrictors, which means they squeeze their preys until their blood pressure is so high their heart stops, and blood doesn't get to their brain, resulting in a literal 'death by an intense hugging session'. They do have a nasty bite whatsoever, which can be dangerous if infected or not treated properly. From what I've investigated, they don't generally attack humans unless they feel attacked, although there are plenty of reported cases of pythons killing and feeding off humans who wander into their territory. There are also some people who keep them as pets and have been attacked by them, which I think it's the worst form of betrayal but whatever.**

 **5\. The name 'Apophis' comes from the Egyptian god with the same name. He was the god of snakes and apparently a pretty nasty dude, but I didn't do much research on his behalf. The name just sounded pretty cool for a creepy giant snake.** **6\. On a happier note, I will tell you that I am planning on this story to be between 20 to 30 chapters long, with an at least 10 chapter long sequel ( _hell yea baby_ ), and also a series of irrelevant oneshots I will update randomly. This series will probably not focus only on Levy and Gajeel's relationship, but also on other ships and matters I want to address such as friendships, business, silly free time and whatnot.**

 **7\. It's important for whoever reads this story to remember that in this universe, the characters all live together in a traveling circus. They are nomads. Technically homeless, you could even say. So a lot of time, specially in between chapters, they spend travelling from one town to another. They usually take between two days to get from one place to another (it is _slow_ ). Then they will stay two or three nights in smaller towns, and a week and a half at most at the bigger ones. There's always at least one 'free night' at every stop, which they use to rest, practice and do some tourism (?).**

 **8\. I try my very best to check and double check and triple check every chapter before I post them, but despite all of this checking and rechecking, English is still not my first language and unfortunately, some gramatical mistakes can be found within my story. Please forgive me, I'm trying my best to learn and I feel I make an improvement with every new chapter I write, but mistakes are bound to happen all the time. Thank you for understanding, and I'm sorry in advance for any further errors. (Feel free, whatsoever, to leave reviews in Spanish, as it is my first language, or any language at all, and I will try my best to translate it and reply to you properly!)**

 **That's all for now! If you're new to my story and somehow my _terrible_ summary has lured you into reading this, feel free and very welcome to favorite and follow, and also if you could from a tiny, little, insignificant review on this silly invention of mine then that would be super cool.**

 **See** **you next week!**


	8. Smoke Gets In Your Eye

Levy was... unsure.

Even though Gajeel Redfox had just arrived to the Cirque something around four months ago, she felt like she knew him fairly well by now, and therefore, she knew he didn't get happy very often. And when he did, he wouldn't really show it.

There were indeed some rare occasions when he would radiate happiness, such as when he performed with Lily in front of a big crowd, or occasionally when they ditched some party and he was drunk enough to even giggle along with her, adding fuel to the fire of the rumors surrounding the odd pair.

She could tell Gajeel was very happy with the newest addition to his performing team, he had even bragged to every one about _how cool his new snake was,_ and even though everyone just nodded along and have him uneasy smiles, he didn't let that damper his mood, and Levy was certainly glad to see him happy, even under the circumstances.

But that snake... Levy was certain she had not ever seen such evil creature in her twenty three years of life, and despite everything Gajeel said, she was sure the animal would hurt any of them if given a chance.

Such were the thoughts that assaulted her as she washed her face with warm water on a bright Thursday morning. They had arrived to Onibus Town the day before, and we're planning on staying there three more days before getting on the road again.

She heard footsteps coming her way, and she quickly dried her face with her towel and checked her blue locks were in place before turning around.

"Good morning, Levy." Juvia Lockser greeted her, already on her training clothes.

"Hello, Juvia. Do you need anything?"

"Juvia was just wondering if you could help her practice her floor routine." She answered simply.

"Of course! Let me just grab my things and then we can go."

They walked side by side in silence until they reached the big red and yellow tent. Usually for pre-show practices, all of the stands would be removed from the inside of the tent and so that there was space for more than one performer to practice at the same time while being inside. They spotted Erza Scarlet practicing her throwing knives with a moving target, and therefore decided not to get in her way. Gray Fullbuster looked quite focused trying to unchain himself from the inside of a tank full of water, so for the sake of his own life, the two blue-headed girls decided to maybe choose another spot where they wouldn't distract him.

Eventually, they got a place right next to where Elfman was practicing with his weights. Both of the girls already used to the man's muscles bulging to incredible sizes, they set to work immediately.

"You are worried. Juvia can tell." Juvia said after some silent minutes. Levy hadn't spoken a word since they had left the camp, and that was not normal for such a talkative person as Levy (who would usually get uncomfortable if there was an awkward silence).

Levy turned around and realized Juvia was right. She had been very lazy and seemingly uninterested in practicing her own routine, to the point to where it almost looked monotone. And Levy's routine was never supposed to look monotone.

She sighed and sat on the floor, resting her chin on her palm.

"I'm just... uneasy. Concerning the safety of _certain_ fellow workers." She said, and looked towards the very middle of the ring. Juvia followed her stare and immediately noticed what was wrong.

"Juvia understands. Juvia worries about Mister Gray too, when he performs." She said sympathetically as they both looked towards their resident beast tamer, who seemed very engrossed with his new number, which apparently consisted on letting the snake do whatever it wanted, until he made certain movement that would order the creature to follow certain instructions.

"I don't think it's like that, Juvia. Its not that I'm concerned. I just don't trust that... thing."

"Juvia believes you should give it a chance. Gajeel seems so happy all the time now that he's got both you and his new snake."

Levy didn't even bother informing the girl that the two things weren't exactly comparable.

By the time night had fallen, Levy was beyond nervous. It was Gajeel's first performance with that reptile, of whom Levy had not even bothered learning whatever name Gajeel had decided for it.

At the moment, Jet and Droy, along with little Romeo were performing their clown number, to entertain the younger children before Gajeel came in and wooed the older audience.

It was a pretty big night, a bunch of papermen and remarkable people had assisted, including the mayor of the town. According to the Master, it was up to those people to decide if the Cirque was worthy of staying on the headlines, or if he should just consider himself unemployed.

"What is the old man thinking of letting him go on stage with... That." Lucy commented, appearing next to her as if she had read her friend's thoughts.

"It'ss not like I don't trust Reddy, I do. But if this night doesn't end up in disaster, then I'll give up every single bottle in my bar. For free." Cana added, drinking from a mug of beer on her hand Levy had failed to notice before.

Out in the ring, Gajeel was blissfully oblivious to the three girls declaring his immediate future as a catastrophe, but instead focused on playing his 'snake enchanter' paper properly. He had opened up the show with Lily and Carla, since Evergreen decided she needed Ellie for her number that night, and now was the time to add the cherry to the top of the cake.

Apophis, as the master had told him the snake was named, seemed very... bored with his job. Well, that's if that face could show any sort of emotion. The seven foot long deadly snake was bored. But Gajeel didn't care. It was easier to control if it had nothing better to do.

Gajeel loved performing. But what was a performer without his public? He normally took some time to address the public during his numbers, even asking for volunteers for some of the safe tricks. He heard children laughter and some running steps to his back. He didn't pay attention. He didn't have time for his public tonight. This needed to be perfect, and he wouldn't let any little brats distract him from achieving his goal.

Levy would be so proud of him by the time it was over. They had found themselves spending more and more time together lately, specially at night when they decided to ditch parties and just talk, hang out, or even just chill by the nights breeze. And not only that, he had decided to include her in his acts every now and then, and as always, she was doing fantastically.

The rest of his workmates... Gajeel knew the Faeries consideres themselves to be a big family, but even so he could tell some of them hadn't warmed up to him yet. This was his chance... His opportunity to prove them wrong. To prove he was worthy of a place in the Cirque.

With that thought in mind, he made his last move. The snake was supposed to stay inmobile and slowly rise up, as to form a stick raising from the ground, and then open its jaws to show it's impressive rows of teeth. But that didn't happen.

Instead, hell broke loose.

It happened so fast, Gajeel believed that if he hadn't been training beasts since he could remember, he wouldn't have seen it, the change on the stance of the snake just a millisecond before it plunged forward to attack some spot behind Gajeel's back.

He heard a child scream, and his arm immediately shot forward to grab the body of the snake before it slithered away, but he was too slow.

But Lily wasn't.

The enormous panther plunged forward with his powerful hind legs, and snapped his jaws around Apophis, making the snake lose focus on it's initial target (who happened to be a small child holding an ice cream, which was already on the floor along with the kid, whose mother came running to the scene to drag him away of the danger) and instead prepared to deliver a nasty bite directed to Lily's head or neck.

Sadly for the reptile, he moved too late, and Gajeel had already appeared into the scene, blocking the incredibly powerful attack with his bare arm. It wasn't a fight beast on beast anymore, but beast on man, and thankfully Gajeel possessed both experience and instincts. One of his hands went quickly to the top of the creature's head which was bigger than his palm, and snapped the mouth shut by pressing a particular nerve. The other grabbed into the tail making sure it wouldn't wrap around him and ultimately kill him.

The place was a mess. People were running around, the horses had lost it and had taken off towards the camp, Ellie trailing close behind. People got even more nervous as they saw a scared elephant running off in a panic, and the situation just... Couldn't be worse.

Back with Gajeel, he hadn't taken into account the length of Apophis' body. He made his best to hold the head with one hand and the body with the other, but the creature still was able to easily wrap itself around his torso. He had to think fast and act even faster if he wanted to survive.

He felt the snake start to squeeze, first his legs, then his hips, then getting higher to his chest. It was a matter of seconds until he was out dead cold, literally.

He managed to free his hand and wrap it around the neck of the snake. His fingers weren't long enough to fully wrap around the animal's girth, but with help of his other hand, he managed to squeeze it around and ultimately break its column, killing the snake immediately.

When the dead body fell limp around him, Gajeel felt himself fall over as well. He noticed his arm was bleeding pretty badly, even worse than what would be normal, since the snake had done a pretty good job on tearing his skin and muscle as well as raising his blood pressure so that he would bleed out faster.

The world started to spin around him, his head feeling light and his eyelids, too heavy. He could still hear voices around him, some screaming his name, some just yelling incoherently. But they seemed so far away now. He couldn't see anymore, even if he didn't remember closing his eyes. His brain was pounding against his skull painfully, and he just wanted it to end. He felt himself falling asleep, and even thought for a moment he remembered where he was, he didn't care.

Levy's clothes were ruffled, her hair messy, and her performing makeup smudged beyond repair. But she didn't care.

Cana's predictions had been spot on, the night had been a disaster. After the crowd went mad and ran out of the tent, far away from where the snake could do any harm, the papermen had a meeting with Master Makarov in his trailer. That had been three hours ago, and they hadn't even granted the Master time to go and see his own workers in the infirmary wagon, some of which suffered various wounds, although none as serious as Gajeel.

Levy was thankful of the books she had read about snakes, which let her know that pythons like Apophis weren't venomous, instead their bite being something they used more for self defense. But she was sure the snake had intended to attack. What did that mean?

She entered the infirmary for the hundredth time that night. It was close to midnight and even though Polyrusca had dismissed everyone to their trailers to get some sleep, she hadn't been able to stay in her bed for more than five minutes.

Thankfully for her, the old woman had gone to bed already and it was Wendy the one keeping guard that night.

"Any news?" She asked the young girl impatiently.

"Miss Levy, if something had happened in the span of the last..." She looked at the watch on her wrist. "Three minutes and twenty six seconds that passed since you last asked, I promise I would have fetched you immediately."

Levy sighed. Wendy was right, she had been asking about Gajeel's whereabouts ever since he had been carried by Natsu and Bixlow (Elfman was busy with the remains of some equipment wagon Ellie had toppled over) with his arm so mutilated and bloody it looked as if it had been ran over by a train. He was, of course unconscious, and according to Polyrusca, they should be thankful that he was. It would be very painful for him, had he been awake.

That was the last time Levy had seen him, and the image had been engraved into her brain forever. Not only because of the brutality of the image, but because she had known something like that was coming.

She felt her eyes itching, but she knew no tears would come. She had already soaked her pillow with the ones she had left.

 _Stupid Gajeel_ , she told herself again and again. _Stupid, stupid, stu_ -

"Miss Levy?" Wendy's voice distracted her from her thoughts and her head quickly snapped up to meet the young girl's nervous eyes. "I-I think you might want to come in."

She pushed the curtain open and revealed a bed with white sheets in which the oversized beast tamer was laying. She walked closer without saying a word, and looked him over. His arm had been bandaged after probably receiving stitches, and another bandage was around his forehead, the gauze already bloodied trough. He might have fallen and hit his head.

"He's been responding to various stimulations I've been applying on him and I believe he might wake up very soon. I thought you would have wanted to keep him company. I've heard you two are quite close..." She trailed off.

"Thank you Wendy. I'll take it from here."

The young girl nodded and hurriedly left the place, closing the curtain behind her on her way out. Levy was once again, left alone with Gajeel at midnight.

 **I feel sick. I thing I'm gonna go lay down for a while. I just finished this chapter, it was supposed to be way longer, but there was absolutely no way I would be able to make it in time today, so I had to split it in two. If any of you follows my Twitter (@Levy_Shrimp my rp account, I'm not gonna give my main over here) then you probably know I announced I wouldn't be able to update yesterday due to some issues with school and shit.**

 **Anyway** **, wasn't that intense as _fuck_? I mean, Apophis appeared for like, one and a half chapters and he's already dead? What is this, Game of Thrones? Many of you will be confused as to why the fuck did I add Apophis if I was gonna kill him so early on, so lemme just tell you, you're in for a big ass surprise. It wasn't a coincidence that Cobra of all people was the one to trade (yes, _trade_ ) the snake to the circus.**

 **I feel like I'm already giving out too many answers to questions that aren't yet made, so I better shut the hell up. If you were confused in this chapter, I promise you will be even more confused in the next one.**

 **I** **know asking again is kind of a stretch, but if you could please drop me an itty bitty little review I would be _soooo_ grateful. I read everything you guys leave me and I appreciate it a lot. It means a lot to me and actually gives me motivation to continue writing. So yeah, if you review the story, it will give me inspiration to continue writing the story so you can read and enjoy it. In the end, you win.**

 **Thank** **you for reading and if you're a new reader don't forget to fave and follow so that you don't miss out on what will happen now in Cirque Du Faeries!**


	9. From Gagarin's Point Of View

Every single muscle on his body hurt. He felt as if Bixlow had run over him with his truck multiple times. He didn't want to wake up, sleeping was nice. Being still was nice. Moving hurt too much, and meant too much effort. He didn't want to wake up.

But he was being called, he could hear his name falling from distant lips, so distant, he wanted to believe he had imagined it all. But they were real, they were calling out for him. They were in distress.

Suddenly his blissful state of sleep turned into slow torture. He didn't want to be awake, he didn't want to move. But he was being called, he was being missed. For the first time in his life, he was being wanted.

So he woke up.

It took him some time to get used to the light, even with his eyes closed. He tried once, twice, and found that blinking hurt horribly. Breathing hurt horribly. Being alive hurt horribly.

He heard a sound at his side. Calm, painless breathing. As soon as he noticed, he had wanted to move, but he couldn't. He had wanted to be alive for her, but he could not.

"Gajeel..."

Those sweet lips calling him again. This didn't hurt him, no, this was nice. It made him want to hear it again.

He tried again. He wanted to hear her, to see her to feel her. But he had to try first.

A million needles dug into his eyes as he opened them. He was temporarily blinded, despite the dark atmosphere surrounding him.

He tried to command his tongue to speak, his throat to make some sort of sound, his lungs to work, but all that came out was a weak grunt.

He heard her shift in her place and lean closer to him. He couldn't longer see him but he could smell her perfume. The smell of her reminded him of the bliss of being asleep.

"You're awake." She said with a teary voice.

 _Sadly_.

"Is he awake?" He heard a smaller voice ask from behind her, and fingers started prodding at his skin annoyingly. He would bite those fingers off as soon as he could move.

When he finally managed to move his head, even slightly to the side, he saw two concerned faces looking down at him. One looked as if she had been crying for a long time, eyes puffy and cheeks red. Thee other looked scared, nervous and very sleep deprived.

"How are you feeling?" Levy asked, sitting next to him on the bed. It was just then he realized he was laying on a bed.

She run her hands through his hair softly. That was nice. He wanted to answer her. To let her know that he was okay, he was there. To remind her that she didn't have to cry anymore. But everything that came out of his pale lips was her name.

"Levy..."

He surprised even himself. Even little Wendy, who stopped what she was doing to look at them was paying close attention.

He repeated her name, this time followed by something else which didn't make much sense. Everything that happened next was a blur. Slowly, he started to link some words. Create sentences. His tongue was lazy and heavy, but he managed to make himself understood by Levy, who didn't leave his side in the hours he spent coming in and out of the haziness.

"Call the Master." Levy told Wendy when Gajeel was able to communicate decently. "He's feeling better."

Gajeel was not sure of why, but the words felt dry, almost anticlimactic. He knew what had happened, what he had done, and if he had been able to move anything but his head or fingers, he would have probably gotten up and run away.

He didn't have time to, and before he knew it, the door of the infirmary trailer had opened and two short figures walked inside. One of them was Wendy, who was a close second to an old man with grey hair and a flamboyant moustache. Master Makarov.

Gajeel looked away. He couldn't stand the weight of the look the man shoot him.

He felt like he wanted to cry. Why was Levy doing that to him? But he knew the answer. He knew why. He deserved it. He deserved anything the Master would do to him.

That's why he was so surprised by the first words the old man directed to him.

" _My boy_."

It was so strange, yet so familiar. He had never been called that from anyone. Nor had he felt like he deserved it. Metalicana always called him by his name, the occasional 'brat' being the closest form of verbal affection he had ever shown.

But Makarov often addressed people personally, sometimes trusted too fast, believed too easily.

"Look at me as we speak."

"I have nothing to say to you." Gajeel didn't mean that. He had a lot to say to the old man. Sorry being just one of them.

"But I do." The master sat down by the chair Levy had been using previously, before she moved to sit on the bed. The woman in question had not moved an inch from her place since the master entered the cramped space. "I feel like I have some apologizing to do to you, as well as some explaining."

Now Gajeel was really surprised.

"Don't mess with me." He nearly pleaded. "Not now."

"I don't. I have recklessly placed you in an incredibly dangerous position, and I shall pay for my mistakes."

"But it was my fault." Gajeel raised his voice, and tried to get up. Levy placed a hand on his shoulder to calm him down. "The snake, the papermen, everything was my fault. I had a job, a responsibility..."

"Nobody believes it was your fault." Levy said softly, trying to calm his altered state, which was starting to take a toll on his worn out body.

"But I-"

"It is true, the Cirque has been positioned on a quite unfavorable position by the papers because of the recent events involving the now lifeless snake we decided to take in some time ago, but the fact that you were placed under the responsibility of the creature does not mean his actions are at your fault." Gajeel remained silent, not understanding. "I was offered a great deal in exchange of the snake. Enough to keep us on the roads for at least the next two months. Now I see, we would have been better off without it." The Master explained in defeat. "I can not say for sure if what happened was accidental or premeditated, but it will for sure throw us off the spotlight for a while, if not forever."

Gajeel had never in his life felt worse.

"Master I-"

"Stop apologizing, child. I have already told you once, and I will not do it again, that this was not your fault. And I need your help to prove this, Gajeel."

If he wasn't lost before, he definitely was now. The Master wanted _his_ help with _what_ now?

He must have expressed his thoughts out loud without noticing it, because he heard Levy to his side muffling a giggle behind her sleeve.

"You and Miss Levy here, of course. You two are of extreme importance to our next move. You see, we must-"

But he wasn't able to complete his sentence, for he was interrupted by the door of the trailer suddenly being thrown opened unceremoniously.

Juvia was dressed in informal clothing, consisting in loose fitting man-pants and an old shirt, which was what she sometimes wore for sleep. She had probably decided on wearing it because of the indecency of wearing a nightgown around men.

Her blue hair was messed up, which was already a strange sight in itself, and indicated she had probably spent the last few hours tossing and turning around in her small bunk before she decided coming here. Her face was awfully pale, fact that Wendy immediately picked up on and ran to prepare her a calming tea before she had a nervous breakdown. She was shaking from head to toe, and the reason did not appear to be the cold night temperature of the early autumn nights.

"Juvia knows something." She started. "She... She saw something when it happened. The accident..."

"Dearest Miss Juvia, I must ask for you to take a seat and try to calm your nerves before continuing." The master insisted on, letting Juvia sit on the only chair of the room. Wendy came back with the tea and placed the cup on the dancer's shaking hands.

"Juvia... Saw something. While Gajeel was performing. She thought she had ran away, far far away. She thought she was safe in Fiore..."

It had been over a year since Levy had last heard Juvia speak in her native language, and hearing it again could only mean one thing; the girl was in a panic. She had seen something earlier that day that had terrified her.

"Juvia, listen to me. You're okay. Gajeel's okay, everything is fine." Levy bit her inner cheek when she realized that last part was a lie, but nobody commented on it. "Can you please tell us what happened?"

It took two more tries and another cup of tea for Juvia to remember how to speak Fiorean properly.

"She doesn't know... Juvia might have... Juvia wishes she was mistaken. But she was not!" Her words were making everybody more confused than anything, but they let her continue. "Juvia knows what she saw... And it's not fair for you, Gajeel to live on forward without knowing what she saw..."

"Can you please calm down?" Gajeel asked rather harshly, losing patience. Juvia visibly flinched, and Gajeel immediately felt like an asshole.

But Juvia talked. Juvia talked and talked and talked, until the sun started to peak trough the windows of the trailer, and the camp slowly came to life. She talked, and explained why she felt she was at fault, and what she had seen the previous night. She talked, and expressed everything that had yet to be a mistery to everyone surrounding her.

And but the time Juvia finished talking, the room had been left on complete silence, every one of the presents shook to the core by the horror, the madness, the inhumanity of her story.

"That... Is not possible." The Master let out in a small voice.

Oh but it was. And it was very real. They had been threatened since the beginning. Everything that had happened, it was all leading to the climax of a much bigger show, in which they all were the acrobats, and the entire word was their ring.

And they were so close to falling down.

Hours later, Gajeel was laying awake on the bed, alone.

He had yet to be removed from the infirmary, but since his wounds were very severe, he would not be moving around until at least he could move his arm without breaking the numerous stitches that coursed it.

He couldn't stop thinking about Juvia and her story, about everything that had happened and about how she had kept silent for nearly two years, living in constant fear for herself and her friends.

He was so lost in his own dwelling he didn't even notice the blonde girl that came inside the trailer with a tray containing his lunch.

"You sure took a beating back there, didn't you? How're you feeling?" Lucy asked him, leaving the tray on the bedside table next to him, where he could easily reach it.

Gajeel didn't even dignify Levy's closest friend with an answer.

"Did that Strauss girl do this?" He asked pointing at the food with his head.

"She has a name, you know. You can use it." Lucy replied with her hands on her hips. "And since you don't need anything else, I'll be taking my leave now. Make sure you eat all of that before I come back."

"Wait."

She had already turned around, and made a spin on her heel to face him again, and annoyed expression clear on her face.

"What now? I have things to do, you know."

"Make sure someone feeds Lily. He gets grumpy when he doesn't get lunch." Gajeel answered.

For a second, Lucy only blinked once. Then blinked again. Then she looked at him straight in the eyes, her tone when she spoke completely serious.

"Gajeel, nobody has seen Lily since last night."

 **I'm dying. I'm dead. Technically, it's still Thursday, so this is sort of on time. Again, I posted on Twitter warning of my lateness this week as well. Sorry. I know, I'm terrible.**

 **In** **other news, I'll have you know that I literally just finished this. Like, ten minutes ago. So yeah, the ending is crappy because I'm tired and I have school tomorrow and because of finishing this chapter I wasn't able to study for my goddamn philosophy test.**

 **So** **yeah. Something happened to Juvia, a long time ago, and for some reason, it came back to haunt her. What would it be? Why is everyone so scared by what it means? Also Lily disappeared? You will have your answers soon enough.**

 **Writing** **on Gajeel's pov is sooooo freaking hard. The first part, when he's waking up from unconsciousness was actually an extact my own thoughts from waking up after a surgery so yes, it's supposed to sound bizarre and groggy. That's the entire** **point.**

 **Anyways** **, thank you for reading the new chapter. If you're new to my story make sure you fav and follow before deleting it from your reading list. I try not to disappoint. Also, please please please give me a little review. Even if it's just two words, an emoji or something, it's enoughit literally takes a second of your time.**

 **Sorry** **for sounding like a bitch. I'm really freaking tired.**


	10. HELLO EVERYONE

For those of you who clicked on this thinking it would finally be an update, I'm sorry to disappoint.

It's been an insane few months. I would be lying if I said I didn't have time to write, but even when I did, I must admit I had a horrible writer's block. It was hard work for me to finally spit out a new chapter for you guys.

For those who are still interested in this story, I have some interesting news for you. Listen up:

\- I've reread and edited all published chapters, and I will upload it to a new, more organized story. Nothing has changed, I simply corrected some grammar and spelling mistakes. Check my profile and make sure you follow it, since new chapters will be uploaded there and not here!

\- I can't promise you regular updates. It just doesn't work with my life schedule, and I would be lying if I set a date for updates. I'm sorry.

\- However, I'm confident that I won't disappear again for as long as I have, and I'm currently working on new chapters. Stay tuned for more!

\- I know most of you were expecting a chapter explaining Juvia's past, her story and how does it explain why has happened recently on my story. I promise you, that's coming, but not yet. After many failed attempts, I decided to give it a little more time and write something else instead, for now.

\- For new followers and reviewers, thank you for your time and welcome to my story!


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